• Esko Lehtonen, Otto Lappi, Henri Kotkanen, and Heikki Summala.
• Traffic Research Unit, Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland. esko.lehtonen@helsinki.fi
• Ergonomics. 2013 Jan 1; 56 (1): 34-44.

UnlabelledTwo functionally distinct types of fixation, guiding fixations and look-ahead fixations, have been identified in naturalistic tasks based on their temporal relationship to the task execution. In car driving, steering through a curve is guided by fixations toward a region located 1-2 s in the future, but drivers also make fixations further along the road. We recorded drivers' eye movements while they drove an instrumented vehicle on curved rural roads and developed a method to quantify lead time and distance of look-ahead fixations. We also investigated the effect of cognitive load on look-ahead fixations. The look-ahead fixations appear to have a pattern which is connected to the sequential structure of a curve. This suggests that they have a role both in advance planning of the driving line and in the anticipation of oncoming vehicles. Cognitive load led to a shorter look-ahead lead time and distance.Practitioner SummaryWe developed a method to quantify lead time and distance of look-ahead fixations in curve driving from on-road eye movement data. The results are relevant for driver modelling and development of anticipation training programmes for novice drivers.

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